For Jamie FoxxMaybe laughter is the best medicine after all.
The multi-hyphenate artist who sparked concern last April after being hospitalized for a mysterious illnessspoke about her health issue in her Netflix comedy special “Jamie Foxx: What Happened Was…” which fell on Tuesday.
“If I can stay funny, I can stay alive,” Foxx, 56, joked during the hour-long special.
The comedy program, which follows a series of individual performances that Foxx gave in Octoberalso saw the Golden Globe nominee Comic expresses his gratitude to his fans for their support during his recovery.
“You have no idea how good this feels,” a visibly moved Foxx told the Atlanta audience (he was hospitalized in the Georgia city). “I was fighting for my life, but here I am in front of you.”
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“What Had Happened Was” marks Foxx’s first major solo release of 2024. He co-produced and appeared in the Luther Vandross documentary “Luther: Never Too Much,” which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January. He also had a role in the Johnny Mack-directed comedy “Not Another Church Movie,” released in May.
Foxx’s fiery performance in the special has already earned him a Globe nomination for best stand-up specialjoining other actors Adam Sandler, Seth Meyers, Ali Wong and more.
What happened to Jamie Foxx?
In April 2023, Foxx’s family revealed the actor and comedian had suffered a “medical complication” via a statement shared on Foxx’s daughter Corinne’s Instagram profile. No details about Foxx’s condition were released at the time.
Three months later, Foxx personally gave fans health update in Instagram videoalthough details about his illness remain scarce.
“I experienced something I thought I would never experience,” Foxx said at the time. “I know a lot of people were waiting, wanting to hear news, but to be honest with you, I just didn’t want you to see me… with hits missing from me and trying to figure out if I was going for get out of it.”
Learn more:Jamie Foxx’s family reveals ‘medical complication’
Jamie Foxx Reveals Cause of Mystery Illness in Netflix Special
Foxx said in his Netflix special that his health problems began on April 11, 2023, when he suffered a “bad headache.” The comedian said he lost consciousness moments after asking for an aspirin to treat his headache. “I don’t remember 20 days,” he added.
During this coma period, Foxx was taken to a doctor, who gave him a cortisone shot and sent him home. Foxx’s younger sister, Deidra Dixon, who was still concerned about the “Django Unchained” star’s health, took him to Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta for further evaluation.
Upon seeing Foxx, a Piedmont doctor informed Dixon that Foxx had suffered a stroke caused by a brain hemorrhage. The exact cause of the stroke has not been determined.
“It’s a mystery,” Foxx muses. “We still don’t know exactly what happened to me. All I can tell you is that I appreciate every prayer because I needed it.”
Jamie Foxx Reveals in Netflix Special That He Couldn’t Walk After Stroke
Foxx said he reappeared from his stroke-induced coma in May 2023. The “Blame It” rapper said he later found himself in a wheelchair and was told that he could no longer walk.
The loss of mobility threw Foxx into a state of disbelief. “I’m not having a stroke,” Foxx recalled through tears. “That’s old man… Stop this (expletive) prank.”
Despite the severity of his condition, Foxx said he used comedy to cope with his ailing health. Throughout the special, the comedian poked fun at the uncomfortable parts of recovery — from full-body baths to grueling physical therapy — with irreverent charm.
“I lost everything, but the only thing I could hold on to was my sense of humor,” Foxx said. “I couldn’t necessarily walk well, I couldn’t talk very well, but I didn’t let go of my humor. … I was always making jokes, to the point where the nurses thought I was really losing my mind.”
Jamie Foxx opens up about his recovery from a mysterious illness
In a August 2023 Instagram PostFoxx hinted at his recovery with several photos showing him standing at the door of an exotic location, wearing sunglasses and a crocheted bucket hat. “I’m finally starting to feel like myself,” Foxx wrote. “It’s been a dark and unexpected journey… But I can see the light…”
Jamie Foxx talks health:Actor gives new details about mysterious 2023 medical emergency
Foxx made his first major public appearance after hospitalization in December 2023 at the Critics Choice Association’s Celebration of Film and Television: Honoring Black, Latino and AAPI Achievements, where he received the Vanguard Award.
In his remarks, Foxx celebrated his recovery progress by acknowledging that he wasn’t able to walk six months ago. “It feels good to be here. I cherish every minute now. It’s different,” he said. “I wouldn’t wish what I went through on my worst enemy because it’s hard when it’s almost over.”
Jamie Foxx tells his ‘side of the story’ with comedy shows
In October, Foxx performed a series of one-man shows in Atlanta, where he discussed his 2023 medical emergency. In a subsequent Instagram posthe shared a gallery of photos from his performance, one of which showed him appearing to wipe away tears, and wrote that his “soul is filled with nothing but pure joy.”
“I had the opportunity to tell my side of the story and there was no better place than Atlanta, Georgia,” Foxx wrote in the Oct. 14 post. “I have to thank you Atlanta, you came and showed it, I haven’t been on stage in 18 years but I needed a stage and I needed an audience of nothing but pure love and that’s what you were.
“Pure joy”:Jamie Foxx returns to the stage following health problems
Gayle King attended one of Foxx’s shows and spoke to him backstage in a video she shared on Instagram. The comedian told him that opening his “wounds” was “excruciating”, and he noted that he was worried when he went on stage because he wasn’t sure what the audience was going to laugh about.
Foxx also confirmed that the show was being recorded, and King said in the caption of his video that it was for a Netflix special.
Contributors: Charles Trepany, Bryan Alexander, Brendan Morrow and KiMi Robinson, USA TODAY